Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

Although I declared my less-than-enthusiastic nature towards the Halloween holiday, I am still in gung-ho mode for everything and anything pumpkin. The bonus to baking with a ton of pumpkin this time of year? Any leftover that gets moved into the refrigerator can be stirred into oatmeal, applesauce, yogurt, ice cream… you name it, and you just created a pumpkin version of xyz. I have been meaning to make pumpkin cookies for well over a month and they kept getting put on the back burner. I had them on my list of things to make for this week, but didn’t have a specific recipe picked out when I noticed these on foodgawker. I have always been a big fan of Tracey’s blog (she makes amazing things!) and I loved that these were just a tad bit different, foregoing the traditional cream cheese frosting that is usually paired with pumpkin goodies, and using a brown butter icing instead. I’m so glad that I stepped outside of the proverbial box, because this is a fantastic combination!

These cookies actually have more of a cake-list consistency than a cookie – they are light, fluffy, and the definition of moist. The are packed with pumpkin flavor and perfectly spiced.

And then that icing. Oh sweet icing. This was my first time working with browned butter, and I couldn’t believe how much more pop of flavor there was. The resulting icing is faintly reminiscent of caramel, but not that sweet. It’s just amazing. And it’s a perfect complement to the pumpkin cookies; the flavors bounce off of each other in great balance. These will definitely be dessert for many nights to come!

Directions:

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg; set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the pumpkin, half-and-half and vanilla. Beat until very well blended, about 2 minutes (the batter may look grainy at this point, but don't worry, it will come together). Keep the mixer on low and gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to give it a final mix, incorporating any flour on the sides and scraping the bottom of the bowl.

4. Use a large cookie scoop to scoop balls of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1½ inches between them. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies spring back when lightly pressed. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes then remove them to the rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining batter.

5. To make the icing: Add the powdered sugar to a heatproof bowl. Put the butter in a small saucepan over medium heet and let it start melting. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until the butter becomes golden brown and smells nutty (be paitent and watch carefully, it can go from brown to burnt quickly). Remove it from the heat and pour it over the powdered sugar, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the half-and-half and vanilla and stir until the icing is smooth. Using a small offset spatula, spread icing on each cookie. (If the icing stiffens before you get them all frosted, stir vigorously to lighten it up.)

Note #1: You can substitute evaporated milk for the half-and-half in both the cookies and the icing.

Note #2: If you don't have a cookie scoop, transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitting with a plain tip (or use a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off) and pipe 1½-inch rounds onto the prepared baking sheet.

Thanks for a great recipe! I had never browned butter before and was glad to try it. I made it as written (only with 1/2 tsp more of cinnamon), and thought it was delicious. I also made another batch of the icing to put on pumpkin bread. They are nice looking cookies when frosted!

Hi Teri, It does harden, so if you’re putting them out to serve, you could have them touching, however if you’re storing them in a container, I would put a layer of parchment or wax paper between layers.

I just made these and they turned out so well! I love being able to use my cookie scoop, hahaha. I’ve made pumpkin cookies before but they were more like scones, and definitely not spicy enough. thank you for the recipe!

This recipe is amazing. I am happy to report that I followed the recipe to a T and the frosting is out of this world! Just ate a gigantic cookie with a cup of tea and I’m in heaven. My coworkers are going to LOVE these! Thanks for another great recipe!

I took these tailgating this weekend and one of my friends loved them so much she couldn’t speak; she just walked over and hugged me. The cookies themselves are good, but the icing is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted!

Brown butter is my all-time favorite “secret weapon” ingredient! I just posted a brown butter brownie recipe today that is utterly amazing. I can’t wait to try this icing, and the cookies of course, but brown butter icing…ohhhhhh. Gimme! Thank you for this great recipe.

These cookies were AWESOME! However, I have found they spread way out when I bake them. I’ve tried baking longer and also tried making them smaller with a smaller cookie scoop but they still spread way out. Any suggestions? Less 1/2 & 1/2? More flour? They taste great and are super soft but almost too soft to handle since they are so big!

I just finished frosting these cookies & wow they are good. Now i just got to keep my self from eating all of them.

I follow many blogs & try out many of their recipes & have been disappointed many times. Your blog has yet to have me try a recipe that I love. Thanks for only blogging about the good stuff & only passing along the good recipes from other blogs. :)

I made these this morning and they turned out beautifully. My first (of probably many) experiences with brown butter. I can’t wait to share these with my coworkers in the morning. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes :)

Made them last night and they are wonderful! Per the other Crystal, I added mini chocolate chips (good suggestion). However, my icing seems more brown than picture so maybe I let it get more burned than brown??

I made the cookies with the icing, and they are delicious, but they are really really soft. Is it because of the pumpkin? The icing hardened on the cookies the day I made them, but kind of melted the next day? Any tips would help because the tastes separate and together were amazing!!

Hi Amanda, The cookies are definitely meant to be soft, but perhaps they needed another few minutes in the oven if you find they are too soft? Also, the icing on mine stayed hard. How did you store them?

Too funny–we have the same pumpkin plate! I’ve been using it all month to showcase seasonal goodies (here’s one: http://www.fransfavs.com/2011/10/spicy-molasses-crisps/). I love brown butter “anything.” It does amazing things to amp up the flavor. Putting this on my (long) baking list!